Gretchen Harrington
Apr 21, 2025•54 min•Ep. 277
Episode description
#277 - In August 1975, 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington left her parent’s house in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, heading to summer vacation Bible school class. The church was less than a mile up the road, and she had walked it many times in the past, but something about this morning was different. Gretchen never made it.
Two months later, her remains were found by a jogger in Ridley Creek State Park. Next to the remains were her neatly folded clothes, and her underwear was found hung in a nearby tree branch. The case went unsolved for decades and remained a haunting mystery in the community for nearly 50 years. Then, in 2023, there was a significant breakthrough leading to an arrest. But the man arrested wasn’t exactly the person you’d expect to commit a crime like this.
Support
If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.
Patreon - If you would like to get early AD-free access to new episodes, have access to exclusive bonus content, snag exclusive show merch or just want to support what I'm doing, please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/forensictales
Support the show for as low as $3/month.
Credits:
Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell
Rockefeller Audio production
For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.
True Crime Awards 2025:
To vote for Forensic Tales for the TCA 2025 Listeners' Choice Awards, please visit: https://truecrimeawards.co.uk/truecrimeawards2025/en/page/listenerschoice
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices